Remember those school pictures I don’t care for? My second son also started school this year. He is in kindergarten. Yes, I am holding back the tears. Actually he started school almost a month ago. These are pictures I have been meaning to post. The first round are his replacement pictures for the school ones. Picture day at school has already come and gone. Did I order any pictures? Ummm… yes! I just couldn’t help myself. BUT they were small packages, a couple of 5×7′s and the class picture. Even though they are never the best pictures, they are fun to line up and look at as an adult

I also captured Collin’s first day of school. He was so excited! You can see that didn’t last long. Not to mention, instead of consoling him I was snapping away. Actually, I was giving him hugs and talking him through his first day, but I couldn’t help but snap a couple. He cried the first two days, but then said on the third day that he wasn’t going to cry when we leave because he just quits crying after we’re gone anyway. So cute! My little sweet Collin loves school and is a big boy now!

Aaah, I am already getting behind on my posts! I have been taking quite a few pictures these last few weeks and can’t wait to share them. At the moment though I am so busy with everyday life. However, I want to share my new favorite picture-at least it is for now. Its like she is sitting in a little ray of sunshine!

see more beach pictures at iheartfacees.com

Sadly, summer is almost at an end for my boys. In a few days Austin will be starting second grade. Then will come the dreaded school pictures. I am always disappointed when these come home. They never say anything about my kid. It is always the same ‘cheesy’ grin. Yet, every year I buy some. Not this year! Okay, I will at least buy the class photo. The generic school pictures that I normally order will be replaced with the ones below. I think these represent him and his personality just a tad more than the ‘say cheese’ smile. I can look at these and see the sweet boy who is growing way too fast!

Most of you already know I am participating in the 2010 “Rock Your Camera” scavenger hunt at http://clickinmoms.com. It is my favorite photography website! I thought my family might get a little tired of finding things. There has to be well over two hundred items to find. But they LOVE it. The kids run around in the evening saying, ‘scavenger hunt, scavenger hunt!’ Even Josh has yelled out ‘horse and buggy’ and circled around in the car to get a snapshot of it. Here is a share of a few things we have found along the way. To those of you who helped out, THANK YOU!P.S. Its all about quantity versus quality. (From top left to right: polaroid picture, child wearing sunglasses, child with face paint, adult on a big wheel, child and his shadow, funny face, polka dot bikini (my other two boys wouldn’t touch it!), someone doing a tripod (Josh is being a good sport), two people eating spaghetti Lady and the Tramp style, triple scoop of ice cream, pyramid, house of cards, rusted roof, sun flare, capitol building (we were already in Sacramento , constellation)

I absolutely love newborns. I love their itty bitty hands, their cute little noses and their tiny toes. I had the pleasure of meeting Baby J. Although Baby J is over nine pounds, he still seemed so tiny. It was a lot of work to get him to sleep, but finally for about the last 20-30 minutes we were able to get some of my favorite sleepy newborn shots. Thank you Mom and Dad for giving me your time and sharing your little bundle of joy! Here’s your sneak peak.

Get comforter, check. Open curtains, check. Get camera, check. Waking, happy baby, check. At least for a few minutes. After a few shots into this mini session, I realized she had a high fever. Nothing serious, but I am happy that we were able to capture these.

Typically, I hear stories from women about how their husbands forgot their anniversary or maybe a birthday or something along those lines. Two years ago, my husband sent me on a treasure hunt. I had to go to a friends house and dig, I had to ask the paint lady at OSH for a clue, and we ended the evening at one of our favorite restaurants. I can’t remember exactly what I got (my memory is awful!) but it was some sort of ‘camera stuff’. Last year, I remember during the middle of the week thinking we hadn’t spent much time without the kids. So I arranged to have a babysitter. We went to a matinee and out to dinner. Well, both of these days were my anniversary and NO! I didn’t realize it until it was too late. The first time I felt foolish because my husband went to so much effort. Last year I felt just as bad because I forgot two years in a row! Now, we come to last week. What do you think, did I remember? Surprise I did. So you would think that I would try to make up for the last two years, right? Well, I had to keep things simple since we have a little baby that is refusing to take a bottle and I am housebound with a boot on my leg. There is always next year and many more to come. In the meantime, here are the flowers he brought home.

Although mister serious wouldn’t give me a smile, he is one sweet little boy! And his sister is just as sweet and a joy to capture!

You can read a little history in my about section, but I wanted to share a little of my inspiration. Meet my little ones. Austin (bottom left) is seven. Full of life. Happy. And that dimple can make my heart melt. Bryce (top left) is three. Goes through a room like a tornado. Crazy. Can look up at me with those eyes and get almost anything he wants. Collin (middle right) is five. Loves creating art. Homebody. Snuggles with me and makes the world around me disappear. Leah (bottom right) is now seven months. Makes our family feel complete. Content. Her little touch on my cheek reminds me of what a special gift she is.